Dorothy Dunbar Lawson (May 28, 1902 – October 23, 1992) was an American actress and

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

, who appeared in silent movies in the 1920s.

Early years

Born in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, Dunbar became an actress despite her father's opposition. She appeared on the Broadway stage as a child in ''The School Girl'' (1904).

Career

In 1924, Dunbar went to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, where she made her film debut in the Western '' The Flaming Crisis'' (1924). She starred in several motion pictures, including her role as the heroine in ''

The Amateur Gentleman ''The Amateur Gentleman'' is a novel by Jeffery Farnol, published in 1913. It was made into a silent film in 1920 and again in 1926 and a talking film in 1936 with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. starring as the protagonist, Barnabas Barty. Plot summ ...

'' (

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

) opposite Richard Barthelmess, which attracted considerable attention for her. While Dunbar was under contract to

Film Booking Offices of America Film Booking Offices of America (FBO), registered as FBO Pictures Corp., was an American film studio of the Silent film, silent era, a midsize producer and distributor of mostly low-budget films. The business began in 1918 as Robertson-Cole, an ...

for $150 per week, she was the fourth actress who played

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

, starring in the

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...

version of the

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story, ''

Tarzan and the Golden Lion ''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' is an adventure novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a seven part serial in ''Argosy All-Story Week ...

'', opposite James Pierce, who played the title role. Dunbar rejected a contract offer from

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

that would have had her in the lead female role opposite John Gilbert, opting to seek a long-term contract with a new British film company. However, that company's studio burned down and was not re-opened. Dunbar retired before sound films came into being after working in Westerns for poverty row studios.

Personal life and death

Dunbar left the movies upon marrying her second husband, wealthy

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society man Thomas Bucklin Wells, II, who apparently acted in one movie himself, '' Ain't Love Funny?'' released in 1927 by Film Booking Offices of America (FBO). Dunbar's husbands included theatrical producer Maurice (divorced); Thomas Wells (married October 1926-his death); French Embassy attache Jaime De Garson (divorced 1931);

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Max Baer Max Baer may refer to: * Max Baer (boxer) (1909–1959), American boxing world champion ** Max Baer Jr. Maximilian Adelbert Baer Jr. (born December 4, 1937) is an American actor, producer, comedian, and director widely known for his role as ...

(married July 8, 1931-divorced 1933); portrait painter Tino Costa (married 1936 -annulled 1937); and Russell Lawson. She and Lawson had two sons, Richard and Russell. When Dunbar was preparing to divorce Tommy Wells, she received a cable from him to come to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, where he was dying. She rushed to his bedside in the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

capital and forgave him. He died in her arms, having succumbed to

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

addiction. She received a $2,500 monthly income from his estate. She divorced De Garson, whom she married in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, to marry Baer. She later styled herself as Dorothy Dunbar Wells. In 1936, she completed a book of

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, but had not found enough nerve to send it to a publisher. She had long decided movies were behind her. Dunbar asked that her marriage to French husband Costa be annulled because he was "temperamental and cold." In December 1937, she sued family members of her former husband, Wells, seeking $270,000 in trusts from his estate, because she said they had misrepresented certain papers they gave her to sign after his death. They told her, she said, the documents were to make certain the trusts were held for her, but she learned later the papers were actually waivers of her interest in the trusts. After marrying Lawson, her seventh husband, Dunbar went by the name Dorothy Wells Lawson. She played bridge and golf, and won some trophies. On October 23, 1992, Dunbar died at age 90 in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. Her memorial service was private by family.

Filmography

* '' The Flaming Crisis'' (

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

) (Mesco Productions) (Western) ... Tex Miller * '' The Masquerade Bandit'' (

) (FBO) (Western) ... Molly Marble * ''

'' (

) (First National Pictures) (Drama/Romance) ... Lady Cleone Meredith * '' Breed of the Sea'' (

) (FBO) (Drama) ... Ruth Featherstone * ''

Red Hot Hoofs ''Red Hot Hoofs'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Robert De Lacey and starring Tom Tyler, Frankie Darro and Dorothy Dunbar.Darby p.353 Cast * Tom Tyler as Tom Buckley * Frankie Darro as Frankie Buckley * Dorothy Dunbar a ...

'' (

) (FBO) (Western) ... Frances Morris * ''

'' (

) (FBO) (Action/Adventure) ... Lady Greystoke * '' Lightning Lariats'' (

) (FBO) (Western) ... Janet Holbrooke * '' When a Dog Loves'' (

) (FBO) (Drama) ... Letty Carroll * '' What Price Love?'' (

) (Anchor Film Distributors) (Drama) ... Alice George

References

External links

*
AFI Catalog Silent Films entry for Dorothy Dunbar
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunbar, Dorothy American film actresses American stage actresses American silent film actresses 1902 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American actresses People from Cripple Creek, Colorado